Andre Johnson’s career-defining moment will come Saturday in Canton, Ohio when he’s inducted into the NFL’s Hall of Fame. But before that happened, there was one last thing to cross off his list of accolades in Houston.
The Texans’ longtime wide receiver threw out the ceremonial first pitch Tuesday night at Minute Maid Park between the Houston Astros and Pittsburgh Pirates in the eventual 6-2 loss.
He’ll now depart Wednesday morning with the McNair Family, along with his family, to begin the celebration of becoming the first player in franchise history to be named to the Hall of Fame.
How special is this?!?! Andre Johnson,who’s about to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, throws out a ceremonial 1st pitch before tonight’s Astros game to Hall of Famer Craig Biggio. Astros honoring the former Texans star tonight. Way to go Astros!!! Congrats Andre!!! pic.twitter.com/tj3FqAkF6o
— Mark Berman (@MarkBerman_) July 31, 2024
Johnson, known for his physical brand of ball on the field, has a quiet demeanor off it. He’s rarely a talker and even told reporters before the first pitch that he’ll be anxious to give a speech in front of a crowd come Saturday afternoon.
It was only a pitch to MLB Hall of Famer Craig Biggio, but anything in front of a crowd could be considered a warm-up.
The Astros went above and beyond to honor the H-Town legend, titiling Tuesday “Andre Johnson Day” at Minute Maid Park. The first 10,000 fans received a special Johnson Hall of Fame bobblehead and were shown highlights of Johnson’s career before the first pitch.
Kicking off HOF week with the @astros for Andre Johnson night 🔥 pic.twitter.com/CCDZcTKlcV
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) July 31, 2024
A highlight video of Johnson’s career was shown to the public and several Astros players, including Jeremy Peña, Lance McCullers, Hunter Brown and Jon Singleton, offered congratulatory messages recordings.
While he’ll don a gold Hall of Fame jacket on Saturday, the Astros rolled out a literal gold carpet to match his threads before the pitch. The organization also honored Johnson’s mother, Karen, with a bouquet.
Several legends also took the field to see Johnson toss the pitch just a bit outside, including Pro Football Hall of Fame receiver Terrell Owens, and former NFL MVP Adrian Peterson. Rappers 50 Cent, Bun B, Paul Wall, Slim Thug and Tobe Nwigwe were also in attendance.
Celebrating an H-Town legend. 🤘
Tonight, we held a pregame ceremony to honor former @HoustonTexans wide receiver, Andre Johnson, on his induction into the @ProFootballHOF. pic.twitter.com/QZdPad4jEA
— Houston Astros (@astros) July 31, 2024
The Texans take on the Bears Thursday night to kick off Johnson’s epic weekend in Canton.
